ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling by Ron Franscell

Susie Jaeger's 1973 vanishing in Montana seemed impossible. She was camping with her family and sleeping in a tent with three of her siblings. Then, in the middle of the night, someone slit her tent open and stole her from her sleep without anyone waking up. When her sister discovered her missing very early the next morning--perhaps from the breeze that was flowing through the sliced tent--she was in disbelief. 

Susie had to be nearby. 

She had to have just gotten a bit lost in the dark. 

Right?

Tragically, Susie was not lost, but abducted. Before long, the largest manhunt in Montana history was being conducted and led by the FBI. Around the same time, a new way of looking at violent crimes was emerging: criminal profiling. At the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit (BSU), agents worked to learn about unknown subjects based on what was known of the crimes. The thought was that the evidence left as well as the modus operandi by perpetrators could aid agents in identifying possible suspects.

In the case of Susie's kidnapper and, ultimately, murderer, the criminal profiling ultimately proved accurate and helpful. But is this always the case?

ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling by Ron Franscell expertly covers a tragic case linked withe the early days of criminal profiling. Most of us know of criminal profiling from shows like Criminal Minds or Bones, but, as with most crime procedurals, the tactic is not magic and can take much more than a 45 minute episode would suggest.

Franscell goes over Susie's case in great detail and shares the evolution and complexity of criminal profiling. Anyone interested in true crime should give ShadowMan a read as criminal profiling (largely due to how it's portrayed in the media) is not accurately understood by most except those studying it.

While perhaps an extra layer of gentleness would've been welcome, ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling by Ron Franscell is an important book that those interested in true crime should explore.

ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling by Ron Franscell, Berkley